A Journey Home
by Evil-Snow-Bear
Summary: It was a peaceful night in the small village of Nihrote, nothing could go wrong. Until Sin attacks and drags Eva and Nix through time, they wake on the shores of Kilika Island and start their journey home. TidusxYuna, LuluxWakka OcxOc OcxOc.
1. Chapter 1

Summary; It was a peaceful night in the small village of Nihrote, nothing could go wrong. Until Sin attacks and drags Eva and Nix through time, they wake on the shores of Kilika island and start their journey home. TidusxYuna, LuluxWakka OcxOc OcxOc.

Disclaimer, I do not own Final Fantasy 10 or the characters. They belong to the brilliant people at Square-Enix.

A/N This is my first Final Fantasy 10 fanfic, though I am undoubtedly going to write more, it is hard to keep my plot bunnies under control *sighs*

Tidus; Gee whats up with you?

SnowBear; *ignores and carries on munching cookies*

Tidus; FINE! Ignore me then.

SnowBear; I am.

Jecht; okay kiddies enough with the fighting and get on with the story.

Warnings; Uh not much to warn about really, just the normal boy meets girl, falls in love blah blah blah. Some violence but that will come later. Also evilness from Seymour. Rated T for now, might change, might not.

Prologue..

Stars twinkled in the sky as people walked round the small village of Nihrote. The village lay deep within the Macalanian Forest, near the great lake. The sky was lit up with fireworks as the festival continued into the night. Macalanian woods were quiet, everyone from Nihrote by the great lake, partying in the celebration. Fiends were unusually quiet too. staying hidden deep within the woods. Something the village Guard were happy about, they didn't have to worry about some fiends attacking the village while they were off watching over the people. Nihrote was not known by many people, the hidden Guado came every now and then for Nihrote's special potions that held great healing quilities. Guado also traded their fine food for the potions as food in Nihrote did get quite boring after a while. There was only so much you could do with fish. Most of the Guard were leaning against the white, glowing tree's that made up Macalania, watching the fireworks. Some actually did keep an eye out but even they were deaf to their surroundings.

All but one.

Nix was not deaf to the happenings around her, she kept a vigilant eye on everything. She was the youngest in the Guard but that did not mean she had no respect from her collogues, quite the oppisite. They treated her like she was a ticking time bomb for they all knew of her temper. She was also the only one to have a Machina as her partner. Most of the Guard were wary of Machina, even though they were common among everything. To harvest crops. To fight in wars. To run important other machinary. Nix's partner was in the form of a dog, it could run faster then any other machina around and as Nihrote didn't have much of that anyway, it was considered a prize. Many of the higher ups in the Guard wanted her partner for something else but Nixs' mother built her partner and she'd be damned if it was going to be used for somethng other then protecting her and her family.

Nix family consisted of just her and her sister; Eva who was a ball of fire. Eva could scare anyone but she also held an air of innocence about her. Nix knew that behind the attitude, Eva was a kind and caring person. Hence why she got lectures. Especially with the war happening between Bevelle and Zanarkand. The two cities had been fighting for a long time, using Machina to do the dirty work. They churned out more and more powerful Machina and people were getting worried. What if they got other small towns and villages caught in the crossfire? What then? A village like Nihrote would be devestated and destroyed quickly. No one would survive. Nix looked down when her partner let out a gravelly bark, its vocal functions not the best but she understood. She patted the dog-like robot.

" C'mon Stiria, let's go and have a look." Nix got up from her place where she was reclining on a high branch and jumped down, landing on the wood like floor with a dull thud. Stiria landed next to her, sniffing the air. It growled and took off to the west, where parts of the forest met the sea. She followed, a few paces behind while drawing her custom Machina A7 gun. It was the only weapon the Guard was willing to give out. Nix had her suspicions about them having more dangerous Machina hidden away just incase they did get caught up in the war. Bevelle troops passed through Macalania Woods everyday, marching past with Machina and Nix was becoming anxious, eventually the troops would find her village on the way to the Calm Lands and when that happened, blood would be shed. Until then, the only thing she could do was keep a silent vigil in her forest.

Nix breathed a sigh of relief when Stiria brought down a local fiend, it seemed to have gotten too close for the robots liking. Stiria had a personal AI system, meaning the robot could think and decide on it's own aswel as follow orders. There was only two people it responded to and that was Nix herself and Eva. Nix put away her A7 and flopped down on the ground while Stiria searched the area for danger. Tonight was boring her, the men were useless in their job. Really, this was the perfect time for an ambush for gods sake! But do they stay alert? No, instead they stare at the sky while fireworks bang without end. Nix hated fireworks. Nix hated most things that were of no importance. Eva always said that ever since she joined the Guard, she had the personality of a rock. Which Nix found quite amusing, Eva didn't really notice.

Ever since Eva's mother died, Nix had sworn to protect her against all odds. Technically Eva and her were Aunt and Niece but they had grown up more like sisters. Their bond proved that. They were close to the same age so they could really pass as sisters, something that made Nix happy.

She looks up at the star lit sky, the fireworks had stopped for now but no doubt they would be starting up again soon. The woods were quiet as normal. Nix could sense that something wasn't right, she looked round, looking down at the black sea. Nothing seemed out of place but..

Nix shook her head, she must be becoming paranoid again, she always did when Eva left the village. She narrowed her eyes at nothing. Eva always did say she had this uncanny ability to know when she wasn't in the village. Nix huffed and got up from the ground, muttering about tying Eva to a chair and leave her by a window so atleast she could look out into the village but never leave it. She heared a twig snap and her A7 was out instantly. There's a squeak and then Eva came stumbling out of the trees. Nix rolled her eyes at that and put her weapon away. Eva huffed.

" Jeez, Nix, you'd think I was a fiend or something by the way you acted!" Nix gave her a pointed stare with a brow raised, Eva sure did have a wild imagination.

" Yes, but the difference is that I would have shot a fiend before it came out of the woods." Nix hid a smirk at the bemused look Eva sent her. And Eva said she had no humour. Eva looked round and nearly jumped out of her skin when Stiria pounced next to her, a panting sound coming from it. Nix chuckled at the glare Eva gave the poor Machina.

" So, what are you doing by the sea? I thought you were suppose to be patrolling near the Thunder Plains border?" Eva asked while looking out over the oddly calm sea, no sound permitted from it, not even the sound of the waves hitting the rocky shore line. And was it her or was the water drawing out more then it was coming in? Eva shook her head before turning back to Nix, she loved her sister dearly but she had a weird dress sense. Nix wore heeled sandles, the straps stopping just under knee. Every strap had a buckle. Eva always wondered how Nix could get them on so fast! It would take her atleast ten minutes to buckle each strap! Next was Nix's shorts, they were more like hot pants really, they were black and stood out on Nix's pale white skin. A pale blue sarong, hung off her waist, covering her one leg. She wondered why Nix wore one, but she learned that even though it was a thin piece of material, it could hide a lot. Over the sarong was a leather hide belt, that hung slanted on Nix's slim hips. Attached to the belt was the holster for A7 and some magicked bullets that delt a lot of damage to fiends. Her top was long sleeved to keep her warm but it was also thin, so she wouldn't over heat. It was tight and didn't hide much to the imagination of man. Nix's pale blond hair fell past her shoulder, to mid back, in lengthy waves, tints of darker blonds highlighting it further. Nix was very beautiful with her soft features, her lucid blue eyes could sooth anyone but also plant fear in anothers body. They lit up with fire when angered, especially if someone she cared about was in danger.

Eva looked much different, she wore a red dress that stopped mid thigh and was tight fitting round the top, but flared out at the bottom, not too much that it looked ridiculous. She wore black stockings and dark brown ankle boots. The dress was long sleeved, and were black to match her outfit. Her leather gloves a dark crimson. She also wore a belt but this had a small bag that contained potions. Eva was known for her expert healing knowledge. The elder of the village had taken a shine to Eva and was teaching her powerful white magicks so that should any harm come to the village, she could help the injured while Nix fought in the battle. Not that Eva would let Nix fight in a war, gods no! Eva sighed and ran a hand through her lush, cashmere soft brown hair, it was curled naturally and framed her face delicately. She prided herself in her looks from her soft jawline to her high cheekbones that sat gentley under her chocolate brown eyes. Nix always said that her eyes held a hint of amber and green, but only the trained eyes could notice. She was a few inches taller then Nix but that didn't stop her sister from being totally bad ass. Eva loved Nix a lot for that, even though she obviously take care of herself, Nix still liked to baby her. Something she didn't object to.

The air was silent, too quiet for Nix's liking, she pulled a radio from her belt and clicked it on, speaking into the device. Eva watched as the look of frustration came of Nix's features when no one answered. Eva felt a shiver crawl down her spine, like something was slowly rising from behind. Slowly she looked over her shoulder and gasped, the clouds that had covered the sky shortly before had parted, shining the moon light onto the clearing they were in. The sea was rising up and up. Nix had ordered Stiria to check on the village. Eva blinked, looking up. In the sky was a giant beast, it had fins and wings, water dripped from its scaled body. What the hell was that? Eva stumbled back, bumping into Nix who glanced up, her blue eyes widening in horror. She grabbed Eva's arm and started for the forest when the scales on the creatures body fell, crashing into the land. Nix drawed her A7, watching in gross fascination as the scales wiggled before splitting apart and monsters, a lot like giant flies, crawled from within, their jerky movements made Nix apprehensive. If they got to the village...

Eva's scream knocked Nix into action, firing several round, she killed the new fiend quickly but as the three fiends fall, three new scales fell from the host. Nix growled within her throat, reloading the A7 with a snap, she fired again, slowly moving forward. There's a crash and Eva watched as the large creatures crashes into the sea, the large tidal wave flowing towards them. She shrieked in horror at how it towered over them. She thought quickly and summoned a Shell spell, as the tidal wave continued to move. It hit the shield but did not break. Eva breathed a sigh of relief, she had been worried that the Shell would break at the pressure and they would be drowned. Once the tidal wave had passed them Eva lowered the spell, falling to her knees, she had only been practising the spell for a few weeks, she wasn't trained enough for long periods of use. But she was glad that she could make one with hold the pressure of a tidal wave. The fiends had stopped falling from the big mother fuckers body. Nix had a tight grip over the butt of her gun, her eyes darting all over the place, looking for an ambush. Everything seemed calm until there was an almighty cracking sound that deafened them both. Trees groaned as they were ripped from the land, and when looked up, she saw bits of the village houses flying above her head.. And if she squinted hard, she swore she could see people. Nix had taken to loading her A7 just as the land beneath their feet split open. She grabbed Eva by the wrist as the floor underneath her sisters feet gave way. Eva gripped onto Nix with all her might, not wanting to be dropped into the new ravine.

" N-Nix!" Eva pointed upwards, Nix barely glanced in the direction she was pointing as she gave Eva a great heave onto stable ground. When she was sure the ground would not collapse, then did she look up. The giant creature was now hovering near above them. It seemed to begin to glow a eerie golden yellow. The earth shook beneath them and Eva was worried that it was going to give way, instead of giving way, it was ripped up, with them still on it. It floated upwards towards the creature. Nix yelled for Stiria to run, as she had noticed the Machina dog running for them. She shouted for Stiria to keep safe and to stay away from Bevelle!Knowing that it would follow her orders no matter what.

As the eerie glow wrapped round the two girls, Stiria let out a haunting howl. It swore inside its machinized brain, that was a lot smarter then it was meant to be, that it would wait a thousand years for its owner to return.

SnowBear: *snoozes on table* Mmmm cookies.

Rikku; Is that all she ever thinks about?

Yuna; Seems so.

Lulu; Please read and Review and SnowBear will give you cookies.

SnowBear; mmmmm yes, cookies.

Lulu; *slaps forehead*


	2. Chapter 2

Summary; It was a peaceful night in the small village of Nihrote, nothing could go wrong. Until Sin attacks and drags Eva and Nix through time, they wake on the shores of Kilika island and start their journey home. TidusxYuna, LuluxWakka OcxOc OcxOc

Disclaimer: *sits in corner crying* I wish. The characters and game will forever belong to the gods called Square-Enix.

A/N Okay, Yeah so like, OMG PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR THIS BEING LATE! Here's chapter one. Please read and review, criticism is welcomed. Any flames will be seen and used for marshmellows *drools* If there is anything wrong or I have missed something out, it has been a long time since I played the game, please let me know. Oh this story follows the base plot but somethings will be different.

Warnings; nothing to worry about, just chatting, chatting, Angst-y Tidus but that is just my take on him at the start.

CHAPTER 1; Besaid.

Yuna sighed, looking out over the ocean. It had been a day since she had left the Cloister of Trails as a full summoner. Now that she had been accepted, she could travel from Temple to Temple, gaining new powers to defeat Sin. The unholy beast that terrorizes all Spira. She had sworn she would not let anyone else die at that hands of that monster. But she had to question Yevons' teaching, something didn't sit well with her. It seemed that no matter how much they atoned for their past regrets, something she never had, Sin always returned. Summoners journeyed and died at the hands of Sin, her own father was the proof of that, but in the end Sin was reborn and brought the spiral of death to life again and another hapless summoner sacrificed their soul for the Final Battle.

She wondered if her father; Braska felt scared at any point in his journey. Not that she was going to go back on her promise. No, she had no regrets. She would defeat Sin and hope that the horrid creature never returned. Though deep inside, she knew on some level, her sacrifice would be for nothing. Sin would come back, it always came back. She had to think that she was doing good for Spira. She would bring peace, if only for a short while so it was worth it right? Right? Then if so, why did she feel like she was doomed? Besides the fear of death itself, she felt something akin to dread crawling up her spine. Death never frightened her but this strange feeling did and until she figured out why she was feeling this emotion, she just had to smile and keep everyone from noticing.

Yes, she would keep this from everybody, especially the new guy. Yuna squeaked when she felt her cheeks burn with a rosy tint. Tidus was such a strange man, full of so much cheeriness it dazzled her. He had so much optimism and always saw the bright side of life. Even though he was a thousnd years from his home. Yuna believed him, she had believed Jecht ten years and three months ago. She would love Tidus as a guardian but she had to think of the others. Lulu had a natural dislike of him, for reasons unknown to her. Wakka was wary but also excited, Tidus was a good Blitzball player and he could go out with a bang. She was unsure if Wakka really should quit Blitzball but she knew that the older man was not going to let her face Sin without him. Kimahri was a good friend, he stood, silent, watching over her. The Ronso did not talk much but she found his silence to be comforting. Kimahri always listened to what she said and in a strange sort of way, help her make her decisions. Lulu was her older sister and always would be, but sometimes Lulu could be a little cold. Like Wakka had seemed so happy when he met Tidus and brought him to the small village of Besaid and then with her over-confidence, she had worried the village. She had been trying to hard to accomplish her training and the Fayth would not answer, but when she heard Lulu ask Wakka who the stranger was and when she heard his voice, a stranger asking for her well being. It had calmed her nerves and she had been granted her first Aeon. And all thanks to Tidus. Though she thought Lulu would come around eventually.

Yuna looked up when she heard rustling. She smiled warmly at Luzzu, the man had joined the Crusaders much to the annoyance of Wakka. The man believed so much in the Teaching it made Yuna worried sometimes. Wakka could be so boneheaded at times. Luzzu had joined around the same as Wakka's brother, Chappu. But he had survived the last attack unlike Chappu who had gotten crushed under Sin's body two years ago. It was also the reason why the Aurochs lost their game and why Wakka never really commited to being a guardian to his last summoner, Father Zuke. Luzzu sighed and rubbed his face. Yuna frowned, placing a hand on the older mans shoulder.

" Luzzu?" The man sighed and ruffled Yuna's brown hair. She giggled but sent him a look that clearly stated she was waiting for him to explain his downy mood. Luzzu shook his head, giving Yuna a light hug. He loved the girl as if she was his sister. But he was worried about Gatta, the boy was young and rash. And the mission they would soon be fighting against Sin worried the older man to no end. He would have to make sure Gatta was not on the frontline.

" I am worried about Gatta, he is young and does not think before acting. And..." He rubbed his cheek where it stung from Lulu's forceful slap. Who knew the woman could be so strong? He had just confessed to convincing Chappu to join two years ago, Chappu and Lulu were going to get married, she had looked at him with a blank face before her dark eyes lit up with unscathed anger and she hit him before storming off to her tent. Yuna watched the older man before shaking her head, her smile still in place.

" Gatta is strong, he'll be fine. Especially with you looking over him Luzzu.." Luzzu hummed his agreement, knowing that he couldn't tell her the truth, before standing. He looked down at the summoner with a grin. He held out his hand.

" My Lady summoner, allow me the honor of escorting you home." Yune giggled girlishly before taking the offered hand, her delicate hand small in comparison to Luzzu's large, tanned one. Kimahri turned on his paw like feet, knowing Yuna would be behind him with Luzzu. He pulled out his Hunter Spear, ready for any fiend that attacked. The trip back to the village was a short one, with Kimahri killing the night fiends that consisted of Coyote's and Divebacks. Yuna walked with Luzzu, healing Kimahri with cure spells if needed.

When dawn came around Tidus blinked sleepily before stumbling from the bed he had borrowed from the Crusader's tent. A young woman smiled at him, wishing him a good morning. He returned the greeting and stumbled into the bathroom to get ready for the day. The showers were different from the ones he was used to. He had finished when he heard argueing that sounded a lot like Wakka. He rolled his eyes, what had he done this time to piss Lulu off? He thought the scantily dressed woman really need to chill out! Lulu was motherly but in a very stern and cold way. Unlike his own mother who was loving and gentle but was mostly caring for his old man who was a arrogant drunk! Tidus grumbled under his breath, oh how he hated Jecht. He always took his mother away from him, and when he disappeared, his mother just gave up. She died a few months later. The woman next door told him that when a love bird dies, its mate gives up on living so it could join its other half. This knowledge made him hate Jecht even more!

Jecht had always put him down, saying that he could never be good enough to play professonal Blitzball and that he was a cry-baby. So what if he cried a lot when he was a kid? He was just that, a kid! Jecht always demanded his mothers attention and that just made Tidus hate him all the more. He was happy when the man came to him, saying his father had disappeared. His mother had cried for days before going into a trance like state. It took Tidus an hour to get her out of bed and even then she would just wander round their boathouse, never really paying him any attention.. Then when she died, Tidus thought he would be taken to a Ophanage but no, his fathers friend Auron had come and taken care of him until a few years ago when he too vanished off the face of Zanarkand. Tidus wasn't worried though, he could take care of himself. And then on the night of an important Blitz tornament, Sin had attacked. Apparently transporting him a thousand years into the future and into a world he knew nothing about.

He sighed, rubbing his face before thinking about Yuna, the girl he instantly had a crush for. Her blue and green eyes were enchanting. Her soft smile instantly relaxed him, a warm feeling flittering in his chest. He knew the warning Wakka gave him was fresh in his mind. The 'or else' clear in the mans tone clear. He couldn't understand why he couldn't ask Yuna out. She was going to defeat Sin and then she would be free to do as she pleases right? So why did he get the feeling they were hiding something from him? He walked from the tent to see Wakka and Lulu argueing as usual, Wakka was holding a pretty awesome sword in his hands. The sword was a blue metal that looked like it had water bubbles running through it. It glimmered in the sun, enhancing the beauty of it.

" Yo! Sleepy head!" Tidus felt a flush covering his cheeks at the nickname and quickly trotted over to Wakka, a smile on his face. He waved to Lulu but she just gave him a dirty look. Jeez someones moody in the morning.

" Hey Wakka, Lulu." Tidus watched as Wakka looked at Lulu before sighing, taking a deep breath in, he placed the sword in his hands, in front of him. A blush covering his tanned cheeks.

" Here, a gift for you brudda." Tidus gaped, really? For him? OH MY GOD. He had to hold in a unmanly squeal and carefully took the sword from Wakka. He swung it about few times but stopped when Lulu spoke.

" That was your brothers sword." She sounded shocked but her face betrayed nothing. Tidus looked between them, slowly lowering his new sword. He felt somewhat guilty, he had heard of Chappu's death the night before when he found Lulu and Wakka arguing. Wakka had told him that he looked a lot like Chappu, and Tidus felt like he owed Wakka. After all the man did bring him to the village and fed him. Hell, he even joined the Besaid Aurochs! Sure they weren't like his old team back in Zanarkand but he was sure as hell not going to miss out on Blitzball.

" It's not like he ever used it. So why not put it to good use?" Lulu hummed but remained quiet while Tidus and Wakka chatted. It was a while before he noticed that they weren't moving, even though they had a boat waiting for them down at the shore. Tidus frowned.

" Hey, we're taking the same boat, right? So why don't we wait there for Yuna?" Tidus flinched when Lulu rounded on him. He laughed nervously but stayed quiet. For some reason he knew that if he spoke now, he would get his ass kicked.

" Because this is Yuna's journey and we should leave together.." Wakka trailed off as he spotted Yuna coming from the Temple, she squeaked when she dropped her suitcase. She stumbled to get it upright. When she did, she breathed a sigh of relief .

" Yuna, you don't need all that stuff." Lulu spoke laughed.

" It's not really my stuff, they're gifts for the Temples we are to visit.."

" Yuna, this isn't a vacation." Wakka said after Lulu. Yuna sighed. She nodded.

" I guess you're right." She walked forward, leaving the trunk there. After all, she would not be coming back any time soon. She smiled at a confused Tidus but she was glad he didn't say anything. She could not deal with lying at this moment. She knew at some point he was bound to find out but until then, she would keep him blissfully unaware.

" Right, off we go!"

Yuna giggled behind her hand and nodded. Following them out of Besaid Village, she stopped and looked back at the Temple before rushing off to catch up with the others. They walked up the large hill, Tidus and Wakka talking yet again about Blitzball. Lulu walked beside her, a hand on her shoulder which she was glad for. She was nervous about leaving to her death. She prayed to the gods that she would have a safe and light hearted journey.

Walking up the steep hill seemed to take a life time to Tidus, who was getting restless. Deep down, he had a feeling they were keeping information from him. He was knocked from his thoughts when a Coyote jumped out in front of them, snapping it jaws. Tidus and Wakka instantly jumped into battle. Tidus leaped forward, slashing the quick fiend easily. Wakka was impressed, just as they were about to continue a DiveBack flew in, nearly toppling Tidus. Wakka grinned.

" A flyer! My type of customer!" Readying, Wakka launched his ball at the bird, knocking it down in one hit. Yuna and Tidus cheered while Lulu raised a unimpressed brow, making the burly man flush. They continued, Lulu glaring at Tidus every time he turned round, making the teen feel a little uncomfortable. Reaching the top of hill, a blue Flan ambushed them, getting a little big headed, Tidus tried to fell the beast but was suprised when his sword did nothing to the jello like creature. Wakka sighed, rubbing his nose. He called Lulu into the battle.

" Hmph, useless. It's a good thing I'm here." Tidus, still flabberghasted, stared unblinkingly at the fiend, trying to figure out why his sword didn't work. Lulu went over Elemental oppisites; Fire opposes Ice, vice versa, same with Lightning and Water. When Tidus still looked doubtful, Lulu concentrated her magic in a Thunder spell, bringing it down onto the water-based fiend, watching as it burst into Pyre-flies. Yuna clapped, a girly smile on her face. Tidus glanced at a smug Lulu, he very nearly pouted but Wakka dragged him away, not wanting Tidus and Lulu to get into a fight.

Yuna sighed, looking over the village of Besaid with longing. She flinched when Lulu placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Take your time." Yuna nodded, watching as the black mage walked towards Tidus and Wakka, praying to the dried up fountain. Glancing back at the village, she performed the prayer once more before joining the others.

Walking along the cliff side to the beach was long and Tidus was beginning to daydream about Yuna; she was beautiful and strong. She always seemed to have a smile on her face. Getting totally unaware, he was surprised when he was nearly squished by Kimahri, luckily he jumped back in time before the Ronso had time to kill him.

He squeaked silently when the big blue man roared, pulling out his spear and attacking him near visciously. It was times like these that Tidus was glad that he was quick on his feet, whether it was on land or in water. He dodged Kimahri's attacks, not wanting to hurt one of Yuna's friends, he took shallow swipes at the Ronso, easy to dodge but meant enough that if Kimahri actually hurt him, he would fight back.

"Enough!" Tidus breathed a sigh of relief when Wakka finally stopped the fight. Kimahi had been getting rather close to hitting him, and his Jump overdrive was fast and really hard to avoid. Kimahri stared at him for a long moment, possibly looking deep within his soul before nodding and walking off towards Lulu.

Tidus rubbed the back of his neck, wondering what he had done to upset the Ronso.  
"What's up with him?"  
Yuna laughed nervously, explaining that Kimahri didn't talk much and was one of her guardians. Tidus frowned, she hadn't answered his question, shrugging it off, he trudged after them, fighting some overgrown birds along the way. He stared in awe as they walked by a waterfall. Zanarkand had waterfalls but they were all Mechinized which was a shame.

By the time they reached the beach, Tidus was feeling a little glum, he missed his home terribly and even though he promised Wakka that he would play Blitzball, he really wasn't in the mood for it.

He talked to some of the people who were wishing Yuna well on her journey, all sounding as if she was going to her death which didn't make him feel any better. Some gave him items, saying they were for Yuna but he wondered why they didn't just give them to her. But as he glanced over he knew why, Yuna wouldn't except the gifts, she was too kind and some of the items cost a lot of Gil, she would feel guilty.

Boarding the boat, he walked off to the very end, wanting some quiet time to himself. Everything had happened in a rush, first the attack on Zanarkand, then being sucked into Sin. Waking up in a ruined temple, nearly being eaten by two different fiends. Being sucked back into Sin again, waking up on Besaid shore...Everything was too fast, what about Rikku? Was she okay? She had saved his life, gave him food and was the first person to tell him he was a thousand years in the future.

He didn't know if he could do this. Sure he wanted to go to Luca, help Wakka win the cup but what then? They were going to leave him, leave him in an unknown town, in a world he had no clue about. He would be all on his own...

Just like he was right now...

A/N; Okay, I had to stop writing because it would have ended up miles too long and I've wrote more than I thought I would anyway. I was going to put Sin in there but I kind of forgot...Oops. Never mind. R&R It would be appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer; I wish I owned FF10 because a lot of things would be different, like Tidus wouldn't 'die' at the end, Yuna would be a lot cooler, Seymour would still be a bad guy but he'd be in your party as an optional character and a lot, lot more XD

Warnings: For some odd reason a bit of Wakka-bashing, angsty Tidus. My two Oc's finally appearing. The Fayth, guiding Eva to become a Summoner...I think that's it. OH! And my poor battle scenes :(

A/N; HEEEY, yes I know, my first chapter took ages to be updated and then my second chapter doesn't even take twice as long. But I suddenly got my writing mojo back and I wrote it in a few hours. Mind you 'a few hours' actually means waking up at 6am and not finishing the chapter until midday, so a looooong time plus I'm tired, I am not a morning person. Even my cat doesn't bother me in the mornings, the only thing I need is a nice cup of tea with three sugars. ^-^ I'm a little sad because my PS2 died and now I can't play FF10, or 10-2, but I'm hoping to get a new one soon! So I should be able to start FF10 all over again (yay!), so I don't have give myself migraine trying to remember every little detail that happens ¬_¬ Anyway, please Read and Review and tell me honestly what you think, Though flames will be used to melt chocolate for strawberry dipping...

Mmmmm Chocolate coated Strawberries...

ENJOY!

* * *

Tidus stood on a wooden walkway that had survived Sin's attack, he looked out to sea, wondering why he felt as if he should be searching the calm waters for the unholy beast that had destroyed half of a peaceful port town. In the brief seconds he had been dragged into the water, he had felt something inside Sin, something familier but then he was attacked by those annoying fish things and he had forgotten all about it until now...

Yuna's sending was still haunting him and he felt goosebumps shiver across his skin just by the thought of it. He was beginning to question what Yuna's pilgramidge was about, would she survive battling against something that big? No, he didn't think she would but he could be wrong, right? But he knew nothing of this world and so the only thing he could do was push it to the back of his mind until he knew more. Until he could do more to help.

Still, what had Sin to prove by killing all those people? What could a small town like this do to a giant creature like that? To him, Sin was acting like a bully, picking on the weak to show how scary it was. And if there was one thing he hated more that Jecht, it was bullies. Well, he could blame that on Jecht as his father was quite the bully.

Scoffing, Tidus concentrated on something else besides his old man, who he hated with a passion. Gazing back out to sea, he very nearly much screamed like a banshee when something grabbed his ankle. Looking down quickly, he was surprised to see bright blue eyes glaring back. Bending down, he helped the person up onto the walkway.

This female stranger hauled another body out of the water, checking her friend for signs of life. Tidus watched, flabberghasted before he suddenly realized something, this woman and her friend had been in the water, which meant they could have been caught up in Sin's attack.

He searched round the little pouch bag Yuna had begged him to carry with him for emergencies, he pulled out a potion, handing it over to the blue eyed woman who quickly poured it down her friends throat, ignoring her own wounds.

Tidus felt excitment bubble in his chest and he happily blurted out the first question that came to mind. "Who are you?" The woman stared for a moment, her eyes critical and searching before she answered, her voice quiet and suspicious.

"I am Nix and this is my sister Eva. Who are you and where are we?" Tidus blinked, unsure on how to answer. Had Nix been effected by Sin's toxin? Biting his lip, he thought it over, it wouldn't hurt to answer her questions, would it? He knew how it felt to know nothing.

"I'm Tidus, and you're in Kilika. Does that sound familier?" He watched as Nix frowned, her brows furrowing deep in thought. She glanced back at Eva who was still unconscious. She eventually shook her head in a negative, she had never heard of a place called Kilika, and she had a vast knowledge of Macalania and the surrounding places.

"Oh, uh. Do you remember anything?" Tidus asked, sitting cross legged on the floor as kneeling was hurting his knee's. Wood was really uncomfortable. He watched as Nix frowned deeper, this woman was strange, she frowned way too much and he had only known her for a few minutes. If she wasn't careful, she was going to end up with a perma-frown, like Auron.

He snickered silently at that thought, knowing that if the older man was here, he would not be amused. The seconds ticked by and Tidus watched a brightly coloured fish swim close to where they were, swimming round and round in a circle before bombing off when Nix moved, leaning Eva against her shoulder.

Nix scowled when she realized her memory was fine, she just didn't know this place and right that moment, she didn't care either. Eva was unconscious and she didn't want to keep the brunette on these wooden planks for much longer.

"Is there any place we could sit more comfortably?" Tidus grinned and helped Nix stand while supporting Eva. Together they made it to the Inn where the friendly woman was happy to find some extra, slightly damaged chairs for them to sit on. Nix propped Eva up, keeping a close eye on her just in case Eva was hurt more than she looked.

The Inn was fairly quiet, the owner had retired to bed after giving Nix and Eva some extra blankets. Tidus sat, watching Nix expertly wrapped her own various cuts that littered her skin, she had refused another offered potion, saying that Eva might need it more than she did. Tidus was surprised that Nix was always thinking about Eva first and then herself. He was also a little confused as to what they were wearing, their clothes didn't look like the normal fashion the folk of Kilika wore.

As the seconds ticked by, Tidus could feel his curiousness bubble into unhealthy excitement, the thought that he wasn't the only one Sin had sucked up in Zanarkand was giving him hope. He knew Yuna believed him abouut his story but he had to keep quiet or people would think he was crazy. Which was a little hard as all he wanted to do was tell Yuna about Zanarkand and general life there.

Sighing wistfully, Tidus didn't notice Nix watching him until it was too late and a flush crept onto his cheeks, making him cough nervously. He was even more shocked when Nix snickered, flicking back a lock of blond hair out of her face.

Tidus felt his question start bubble again so he thought he better find out all he could about these people, sure it was late and he had to get up early to go to Kilika Temple with the others but he was sure he woud survive one day without much sleep.

"So where are you from?" Nix relaxed into her chair, looking out towards the ocean, her eyes watching wave closely.

"Nihrote, in Macalania Woods. You?"

"Zanarkand." Tidus frowned, he had never heard of Macalania Woods, or Nihrote. But something was niggling at him, like a little voice in his head was saying that the two women didn't belong in this time. "This going to sound really strange but is Sin known?"

At Nix's blank stare, his thoughts are comfirmed, Nix was dragged through time like he was. Why Sin had dragged her and Eva here he didn't know, Hell, he didn't knw much anyway. He had to keep relying on Lulu to explain things to him.

"I have no idea what this Sin is, but I can tell you this. Nothing is as it seems. Call me paranoid but I don't think this is my home..." Tidus blinked, understanding the underlying message. Nix knew something wasn't right, she had a gut feeling that this wasn't her time, her home Tidus watched as Nix scowled at Eva, wrapping the blanket round the brunette once again, for some reason it kept slipping off.

Tidus yawned, even though he felt wide awake. His mind was going a hundred mile per hour with the new infrmation he had gathered. Sin had dragged Nix and Eva through time like had been, but they were from Nihrote, a place he gathered was far from Zanarkand so why? Why were they so important?

Nix watched as the scowl/frown grew deeper on the blonds face, she knew that he was doing some serious thinking but by the looks of it, he knew as much as they did. Placing a hand on a tense shoulder, Nix ordered him up to bed like a scolding mother. Tidus looked reluctant but followed her words of advice, knowing he had a busy day tomorrow.

Nix breathed out a sigh when the blond finally disappeared and let out a wince when it jarred her bruised shoulder, pain didn't usually bother her but she was sore and tired, being in an unfamilier place didn't help either. In a few hours she would scout the area, keeping an eye out for that large monster that had caused all this trouble. Settling down in her chair, she watched the horizon suspiciously, knowing that something big had caused the damage to this little port town.

Tidus sulked through Kilika forest, upset that when he awoke, Nix and Eva were no where to be seen. He had wanted to ask more questions about Nihrote. Slashing a Killer Wasp in half, he barely paid any attention to where he was going, just doing the same moves over and over. Slash, sweep, walk and repeat. It was boring him to death, literally. Not even Yuna's cheery smile could lighten his mood, or the fact that Yuna had asked him to be her guardian. He felt as if he had lost the only two people who could remind him of home, sure they weren't from Zanarkand but they were from another time, another world like him. Spira was gorgeous, don't get him wrong but there was just something about Zanarkand and her glowing beauty that set him at ease.

Slashing another fiend blindly, he was ignoring Yuna's cries of magic spells as she healed the wounded, and purified those who had been poisoned with powerful Esuna spells. Fire elementals were easy, just stick Lulu on them, she soon got rid of them with a snarky wit filled saying.

Kimahri was following behind Yuna, absorbing enermies HP like no bodies business, seeing if they had any overdrives he could learn. Wakka usually had the wasps covered, as they were flying type fiends but he had got distracted by a Fire elemental so Tidus had quickly slashed them down. The fighting continued and they had only reached the first bridge when Luzzu and Gatta appeared, warning them about a Lord Ochu.

The giant plant stood menacingly in the background, it's tentacle like arms dragging along the floor as it slept. Tidus felt a rush of adrenaline just by looking at it and suddenly felt energized to fight. He glanced at the others, noticing how Yuna's eyes lit up with the challenge. Fighting against something that powerful would surely help her training, so with a quick word to the others, they charged into battle, catching the Ochu by surprise as Lulu used her overdrive to cast a barrage of Fire's at the fiend. Wakka was next, using Dark strike to try and blind the fiend, after a few tries it worked. Meanwhile Yuna was making sure everyone was unpoisoned and healed.

Kimahri and Tidus went in for the close ranged hits now that it was blinded, slashing at it's long arms and body, making it bleed greenish blood that smelt awful. Tidus grunted when one of the Ochu's claws caught him, hitting him hard in the chest and sending him sprawling across the forest floor. The pain disappeared quickly as Yuna cast Cure on him, his wounds healing quickly. He smirked when he felt his overdrive coming into play and used it without a second thought as Kimahri used Jump.

The fiend staggered under the blows, unable to keep up now that it was weakened. Lulu casted another barrage of black magic to keep the fiend from recovering too soon. Lord Ochu wasn't giving up without a fight though and swung is arms about dangerously, Yuna dodged a swipe and frowned, concentrating hard, she ordered the others to a safe distance as she summoned Valefor. The non-elemental Aeon swooped down from the sky, attacking the fiend deftly, avoiding all its wild movemets. Valefor spun round in the sky, its beak glowing as it used Energy Ray.

The non-elemental blast finished Lord Ochu for good and the plant-like fiend dispersed into a cloud of Pyreflies with a dying groan. Knowing that Yuna was no longer in danger, Valefor took to the skies and disappeared. Lulu looked mighty pleased and gave Yuna a pat on the back while Wakka rubbed it into Luzzu's and Gatta's faces. The Crusaders looked astonished they had defeated something so strong but Tidus wasn't feeling so joyfull, now that the fight was over, he began to brood once again as Yuna talked to the two Crusaders.

Eventually, they reached the entrance of Kilika Temple but Tidus was not amused to see the several flights of stairs he had to climb to get there. Half heartedly listening to Wakka's story about some famous Blitzball star who had become a summoner, he just gazed at the stone steps as if by magic they would all disappear. He was aching from the previous battles, it seemed that because they had slain the Lord Ochu, the other lower fiends came crawling out of the woodwork in hordes. He had lost count of how many Wasps he had slain, he was sure it was much more than Wakka as the Besaid Auroch Captain kept getting ambushed by Fire elementals. Those elementals just loved Wakka for some strange reason.

Slowly trudging up the steps one by one, he was surprised when the Besaid Aurochs challenged him to a race to the top. He knew he had to snap out of this not so brilliant mood at some point, he grinned and took up the offer, stretching his tired muscles the best he could. Yuna stepped up beside them, acting as the race starter only to cheat and run ahead, causing the others to chase after her, shouting mock complaints. Rolling his eyes, Tidus followed them at a leisurely pace but stopped when Wakka called him.

He looked at the older man questioningly, wondering what Wakka was going to ask, he definitely didn't expect him to ask about Zanarkand.

"So, what happens when a fiend shows up?" Tidus turned, the answer already spilling from his mouth before he could stop it.

"It doesn't happen often but it's a big deal when one shows up though...Wait, since when did you believe me about Zanarkand anyway?" Wakka looked away, his face showing solomn regret before it shined with a bright smile.

"I was thinking, maybe Sin doesn't kill people. Maybe he just takes them through time." Tidus was about to agree when Lulu snorted from behind the bulky man, her voice coming out scornful and cruel as she walked past them.

"Sin didn't take Chappu anywhere. Sin crushed him and left him on the Djose shore. To keep making excuses is pathetic, and sad really." Tidus bit the inside of his lip to keep himself from saying anything as Lulu floated passed, her face a stoic mask of cold emptyness that made Tidus shiver. Sometimes Lulu scared him with her cruel, cold attitude. He turned back to Wakka as the older man punched the floor, hard. Wakka sighed, sitting on the floor and resting his head in his hand, looking out over Kilika forest.

"I...I could never be what Chappu was." Wakka sighed and finally stood back up, giving Tidus a smile that didn't completely reach his eyes. "Well, no point thinking about it. Lets go."

Tidus didn't quite believe the cheeriness in the others voice but kept his thoughts to himself, he hadn't been the shinniest ball of happiness either. He was too busy thinking abot Nix and Eva to really pay attention to anyone. He was knocked out of his thoughts when the Besaid Aurochs came running past, screaming about 'Sinspawn' and fiends. Whipping out his Brotherhood sword he ran into battle against a giant...shell? No, Rock? He blinked at it for several moments, knowing that this battle was going to be annoying.

The floor rumbled as two large tentacles came bursting out of the ground. Tidus mentally groaned, not more tentacles! He was seriously getting sick of them. Wakka attacked the main fiend first, a deep frown coming over his features when his ball bounced off the shell with a dull sounding clang and instead went flying into the surrounding overgrowth. Next came Kimahri's spear which did a little bit more damage but not much.

They were dodging the tentacle-like arms with little problem. While Lulu was gearing up her Fire spells, Kimahri casted scan on the fiend, trying to figure out what would hurt it most.

"Destroy tentacles. They absorb magic!" Tidus blinked at Kimahri's roar but soon hopped to it, even though they were stuck in the ground, they were hard to hit. They dodged his slashes and his shoulder was beginning to protest the continueous movement..

The tentacle he was fighting against, swished out of the way of his attack and countered by hitting his sword hand, sending Brotherhood flying from his grasp and several feet away. He rolled out the way but soon realized the fault in that little plan as the tentacle had followed him and was now swinging downward in an attempt to squish him into the tiled floor.

He let out a surprised yelp when something grabbed the back of his collar, yanking him backwards as a gun appeared by the side of his head, firing several rounds into the tentacle with precision shots, killing it easily.

Tidus gasped for breath, looking over his shoulder to see who had saved him. His eyes widened when he saw Nix standing there, looking down at the withering tentacle with a raised brow and an expression of disgust.

He went to open his mouth when there was a shout of magic and balls of Fire rained down on the remaining tentacle, burning it to ashes. He looked to where Yuna was standing to see Eva running onto the scene, brushing past Yuna as she casted more spells at Geneaux. The larger fiend shuddered, several leaves swishing from its shell as the layered armour broke open, revealing the fiend inside and its tentacle arms. Tidus groaned at the spindly appendages, wanting nothing more than to flop out on the ground and sleep for as long as possible. Being a Guardian was hard!

He winced when Nix tightened her grasp on his collar and dragged him towards the main battle. Eva had resigned herself to healing duty, her whip-like weapon dancing round her as she casted Cure after Cure, while Yuna rested and restored her MP. Tidus freed himself from Nix's death grip and was surprised when the woman shoved Brotherhood into his arms and gave him a look that stated that if he didn't his ass into battle, she was going to shoot him with her rather odd looking projectile firing weapon.

Feeling a Cure spell slide across his skin, he ran into battle, dodging a harmful swipe from Geneaux and slashed at the main body while Kimahri went to sort out the thin tentacles.

Lulu casted Fire as usual, dealing a lot of damage to the Sinspawn while being a safe distance away. Eva was surprised when Yuna gave her the go ahead to join the battle as Lulu was having trouble keeping the spells going as her MP depleted with each spell. Eva swung her whip forward, the bladed weapon stopped Geneaux from hitting Kimahri and she forcively yanked the tentacle back on itself as Wakka's ball finally came back into the battle, hitting the Sinspawn in the face with a painful sounding crack. There were a few bangs and bullets hit the tentacle still trapped in Eva's whip, severing it from the main body.

Geneaux let out a roar of pain, swinging its free tentacle out towards Nix who simply fell backwards, rolling to the side and standing fluidly as she reloaded her weapon. Tidus saw his chance and severed the other limb, dodging Geneaux's Water spell. Lulu's overdrive was finally full and, with Eva, casted fifteen Fire spells in a row.

Under that much black magic, Geneaux gave and crumbled to the floor turning into Pyreflies. Tidus panted for breath, resting his hands on his knee's. Everyone was quiet, Lulu was giving Eva an appreciative gaze for her skill in magics while Kimahri was busy with Yuna who was out of breath and tired. Nix stepped forward to see if anyone was hurt when a tanned finger appeared in front of her face and Wakka's heaving bulk towered over her in a show of intimidation.

"Why are you using a Machina weapon. Are you Al-Bhed? A heathen!" Nix rolled her shoulder, ignoring Wakka's disdainful stare she holstered her weapon before grabbing Wakka's hand and twisting, kicking out Wakka's knee's she pinned the captured arm up the Blitzball players back as she spoke calmly.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you it's rude to point? And I'll use whatever weapon I like, whether it is against Yevon's Teachings or not." Nix growled into a bright red ear before letting Wakka go and stepping back, continuing her walk towards the others. Eva was sniggering behind her hand, trying her hardest to act serious.

Tidus silently 'ah-ed', realizing they had gone off to find more information about Kilika. They must have ran into a priest and drained every bit of knowledge from the poor man. Yuna ran up to Nix, her mix-matched eyes wide with awe and a little concern.

"I'm Yuna and this is Lulu, Kimahri, Tidus and that was Wakka. Thank you for aiding us in battle." Yuna had her hands clasped behind her back, a pink tint to her cheeks as she stared at Nix who seemed to be looking past her for the moment. It was Eva who answered, holding out her hand as she introduced them.

"Hi, and you're welcome, we heard the fighting and we just had to come and help. Oh! I'm Eva, by the way, and this is Nix... She doesn't really talk much, she more the I'll-glare-my-answer-back-to-you type of person." Yuna giggled and wandered off with Eva, the brunette telling the summoner all about their trip so far, and what they remember.

Nix stalked up to Tidus, rolling her eyes at how out of breath the other was. It was only a simple battle, nothing too hard! She had fought harder things in Macalania with only a few supplies, but she had to admit, Tidus had promise, with some training he could be an exellent swordsman.

"Are you finished?" Tidus glared up at Nix, he was tired damnit! It seemed like he had been fighting tentacles all day and then there were the Wasps, and the Elementals, and those creepy lizard things that Lulu had great pleasure blowing with Fire spells. He was tired, his muscles hurt and it wasn't even midday yet!

"Being...A...Guardian...Is...Hard!" Nix frowned before shrugging and patting him on the back. After a few more minutes talking, Yuna offered to take Nix and Eva to the Temple to pray for their memories to come back. Wakka went to protest but Lulu gave him a look that promised a very painful death. Tidus followed slowly, covering the rear of the group with Nix who was reloading her weapon.

They climbed more stairs, Tidus answering Nix's quiet questions the best he could. The blond woman was intrested in Summoners and Guardians. They got to the top and people turned round to greet them, doing the prayer(to which Nix asked why they kept doing that) before going back to their own business, though they kept giving Yuna awe-filled glances.

After the run in with the Luca Goers, to which Nix nearly shot them all, it was only Eva's quick thinking that saved them, the large group entered the Temple. Nix stared at the statue of Lady Yocun for most of the time, Eva was more intrested in the two statues that hung above the door to the Cloister of Trials. Yuna had told them that they were of Lady Yunalesca and Lord Zaon, the first two to defeat Sin. Nix had glared at Yunalesca, the woman's name sounding familier but for the life of her, she couldn't remember where she had heard it.

Eva watched as the group went up the stairs to the Cloister of Trials, Nix was still glaring after Dona who had been and left but she could tell the other woman was standing outside, waiting for something. Eva rolled her eyes and gave Nix a sharp elbow to the ribs, glancing back at the door when she felt something magical slide against her skin and the floor felt like it was vibrating.

"Hey, Nix. Do you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

"I dunno, but there's something down there. I can feel it. It's like something's calling me..." Nix watched as Eva slowly started to ascend the stairs, she knew her sister had a good sense of magic and stuff like that. When Eva had been little, she often said she was talking to the spirits of the forest. The elder thought she had made up imaginary friends but then changed her mind a few years later when Eva casted her first magic spell.

Nix swung round when she heard Dona's voice, grabbing Eva's belt, she not so gently yanked her round the back of a statue, hiding there. She watched as Dona climbed the stairs with her idiotic bulk of stupidness following behind. She could hear Tidus's voice through the heavy doors before it went quiet and Dona walked back out, a satisfied smile on her face.

"That would show that impudent girl who's boss. No one messes with Dona, do they Barthello?" The muscled man shook his head, following after Dona like a lost puppy. Nix growled and stormed out of her hiding place, taking the stairs two at a time. She opened the Cloister doors to find no Tidus, just a lift. Eva gasped from behind her, and she shuffled forward.

"Okay, Eva. Where do we go now?" Eva smiled dazedly and grabbed hold of Nix, dragging her onto the lift which lit up and groaned to life, slowly starting to descend. Nix looked around, memorizing the symbol on the floor just in case they needed it later on.

Eva dived off the lift, heading for the double doors down the hall. She looked excited and Nix was beginning to wonder type of Temple this was. Eva pushed the doors open and then went into the first room, only to find a dead end. The brunette whined, looking round the room while Nix stared at the glowing Sphere in the pedestal.

Glancing round, Nix spotted the alcove in the wall, just big enough to fit a small sphere object. Shrugging, Nix picked up the Sphere and took it the alcove near the picture of a door, watching as it went up in flames. Eva was by her side, bouncing on her heels and quietly muttering to herself about spirits and fire. Ignoring Eva, she picked up the sphere once again the flames disappeared, leaving an archway into the next room.

Nix now began to understand why this place was called the Cloister of Trials, it was practically a large puzzle. The next room was a little bit more complicated. There was a green sphere which Eva gladly named the Glyph sphere and she took it out the spherical shaped hole, allowing Eva to put the flame sphere in which she decided to name the Kilika sphere just for fun. The flames burnt brightly, showing a glyph on the wall.

Nix took the sphere back out and replaced it onto the pedestal, leaving it there while she touched the glyph which raised the wall. Raising a brow, she told Eva to stay where she was while she checked out the next room. There was some stairs but there were flames everywhere and would be impossible to get to the next door without getting burnt to death.

She groaned when she saw another sphere and took it out of the hole, and called Eva in to place the Glyph sphere in the vacated spot. Another section of wall rose up, leaving Eva and Nix to stare at a purple sphere. Eva squealed with glee as purple was her favourite colour and refused to put the sphere down. Nix rolled her eyes and then glanced down the floor, noticing how it glowed white and there was a pattern that oddly reminded her of the pedestals. Telling Eva not to move, she ran back into the other room. She placed the sphere in her hand on a little alcove to the west of her before gripping onto the pedestal and pushing.

It was a little hard to get moving but once it did, it moved like a charm. Nix pushed the pedestal onto the glowing pattern, watching as pedestal sank into the ground which lowered and the flames were gone at long last. Walking down the stairs, Eva was surprised to another spherical alcove and eagerly placed the purple sphere in, watching as it blew a hole into the wall where a treasure chest lay.

Nix rolled her eyes as Eva just about danced before opening the chest and pulling out a red gauntlet with a biggish hexagon shaped shield on top. Eva examined it for a few seconds before giving it to Nix who looked a little unsure the thing would fit and was pleasantly surprised when it did. Eva grinned, telling her the gauntlet looked good on her. Nix had to admit for a gauntlet, it was rather light and the defensive properties the gauntlet had was made known instantly. Nodding to Eva, the brunette ran up the remaining stairs and shouted for another Kilika sphere which Nix went back and got.

The last door went up in flames and Nix removed the sphere, shaking her head in mock exasperation when Eva bolted into the next room, followed by Tidus's and Wakka's unbelieving shouts.

Nix looked at the sphere in her hand carefully placed it on the floor where it would be safe. She entered the next room to see Eva standing by Lulu who was giving Wakka the most dirtiest look she had ever seen.

Tidus walked up to her, a sheepish grin on his face. "Dona put you down here too, huh?"

"No, Eva said she could sense something down here. Right, Eva?" Eva smiled brightly and pointed to the only door in the room which Kimahri was guarding.

"Yep! I asked Lulu and she's says there's a Fayth in there, which is a dead spirit."

"Huh, no wonder you could sense it then. Good work." Eva blushed under Nix's praise and went back to staring at the door thoughtfully. Nix sat on the floor, her recently gauntleted arm resting on her upraised knee. She expertly ignored Wakka's moaning and concentrated hard at the patterns covering the wall.

It was a few minutes later that the door lifted upwards and Yuna came stumbling out, her face glowing with pride as she told the other she had gained a new Aeon. Eva was looking past her into the Chamber of the Fayth, Nix knew that look and shrugged her shoulders, the worst thing that could happen is them getting sent out again. Eva caught the shrug from the corner of her and gently pushed past Yuna who looked wide eyed as the door shut behind Eva. Tidus was seriously confused but stayed by Nix, knowing the heated discussion that was about to happen had nothing to do with him.

Lulu and Wakka were arguing and while Kimahri stood guard over the door once again. Yuna looked thoughtful and snapped her fingers when she got an idea. "Maybe, the Fayth were calling Eva to this room. Nix said that Eva could sense the Fayth and was determind to get here." Wakka scoffed, looking insulted but Lulu was contemplating Yuna's theory.

"Yuna is right, the Fayth know if someone is capable of being a Summoner or not. I can only speculate that the Fayth sensed this in Eva and called her down here." Nix closed her eyes as Wakka and Lulu began arguing again. It was easy to tune them out and only listen to the low singing in the background, she remembered it was something her mother used to sing when she was little before she died. Nix looked up sharply and stood, startling Tidus out of his light doze. The door opened and Eva came out, smiling but then her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collasped on the spot, only Kimahri's quick reflexes caught her before she went face first into the hard floor. Nix glanced round, not worried about Eva, noticing everybody weary gazes. She sighed, taking lead over the group.

"Lets get out of here, we can rest and sort everything out at the Inn." Everybody nodded, following Nix out the Chamber of the Fayth...

* * *

A/N Done! Whoop! So tell me what you think of my first battles scenes! I have never wrote them before so I apologize if they aren't very good. I'll be practicing though! So Nix and Eva are back into the story, I'm sorry that the bit where Tidus finds them isn't very good (well in my opinion it wasn't very good) but that was how it wrote out and it wasn't going to change. Oh and I'm sorry if I got some of the Cloister of Trials wrong, it's just hard to remember where each sphere goes where and stuff. Next chapter will be Luca, well, thats if I can remember everything about Luca, lol. Cheerios!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: me no ownies!

Warnings: Seymour(obviously) Blitzball! Attack on the Stadium.

A/N:... Yeah okay, so it's been a while and I'M SO SORRY! but y'know the black, and boring, hole that is college swallowed me up and I got stuck doing work, then christmas came. (sighs) Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, reviews are always welcome, even if they are to moan at for taking so long :)

Enjoy!

=LUCA=

"Oh, wow. Nix come and look at this!"

Nix rolled her eyes, trying not to throttle her sister and walked over, gazing at all the different toys the stall had. They oddly reminded her of the moogle teddy Lulu carried around with her. In fact, they looked just like they were used in battles. Of course, Eva found a Cait Sith toy and had to have it, so after spending a few hundred Gil, Nix took the Gil pouch and refused to let Eva buy anything else.

They were lucky they didn't have to pay for Blitzball tickets, Yuna had just told the security guard that they were her guardians, which they weren't but they got in for free so Nix kept her mouth shut while Eva grinned happily. They had gone their seperate ways after that, wanting to look round Luca before following Yuna along the Mii-hen Highroad.

Eva had decided to continue going from Temple to Temple, gaining more Aeons. She wanted to help Yuna with her pilgramidge and learn about her own powers. She was determind to become Yuna's Guardian but Wakka had protested about it, saying that they would fail because of Nix wielding a Machina weapon. Eva had never seen anyone summon such a large Fire spell like Lulu had.

So, Yuna had given them until they leave Luca to decided if they would like to journey with her. Nix knew the decision had been made the moment they had saved Yuna and her friends from Geneaux, besides she wasn't going to let Eva travel an unknown world without her. Walking into a cafe, she sent Eva to get the drinks while she found a free table. The place was crowded, all different races were crammed in and it was hard to find a free table.

She gasped when someone grabbed her wrist and glanced down, looking into one brown eye that watched her closely. The man offered for her to sit at his table as he was nearly finished. Not one to be impolite she sat down, trying tune out the loud noise of everyone chattering loudly that irritated the migraine that had been banging against her skull since they docked.

This is why she never travelled on boats, they gave Nix the most skull breaking migraines possible which made her easily irritated and she could remember the times she had sent grown men running off, crying their eyes out. She was just someone you didn't mess with when she had a migraine. Rubbing her temples, she hummed an old Nihrote lullaby that often helped calm her down.

"Are you alright?" Nix glanced up, wanting nothing more then to bash her head against the table.

"Yeah, boat travels give me migraines. Thanks for asking." The man smirked, taking a sip of his drink, watching the crowds closely. Nix was doing the same, her hearing trained on where Eva was just in case she needed help, though she twitched when she overheard some Al-Bhed talking about Eva, understanding every word they said. Every now and then, an Al-Bhed would pass through Macalania and Nix used to follow them all through the forest but the people often got hurt so Nix would help them and they taught her how to speak their language in a show of gratitude, which was apparently coming in handy as she sat up straight and grabbed the shirt strap of a passing Al-Bhed and pulled him down to her level, hissing sharply in their language to get her point across without causing a scene.

_"You go near her and I'll make you regret even breathing near her, got it?"_ The Al-Bhed nodded his head, a bead of sweat sliding down his neck as he quickly scrambled out the cafe, just as Eva arrived with their drinks. She watched curiously as the group followed after their friend, muttering between themselves. Looking at Nix, she sent her sister a questioning gaze.

"What were you talking about?" Nix took her drink and placed the cool glass to her temple, trying to sooth her migraine away.

"Blitzball." Her tone suggested the conversation was over and Eva left it alone, knowing how violent Nix got when she had a migraine, turning to the other person at the table she spoke warmly and got caught up in a serious topic with the stranger.

Nix groaned, closing her eyes and tuning Eva out while trying to forcively will the pounding out of her skull. A few minutes passed before the announcer on the sphere screen told everybody listening that the first match between the Guado Glories and the Kilika Beasts.

Eva squealed and turned to watch the game with a keen eye, booing whenever one of Guado got the ball. Nix closed her eyes, shutting down most of her senses except hearing, she listened the sounds of people talking, the shuffled footsteps of the bartender. The sound of the fans cheering in the Blitzball stadium through the sphere screen. She could hear the people walking past the bar outside, the giggles of children. She focused harder when something pulsed, it was a low beat that could barely be heard over the noise, but years of being in the Nihrote Guard had taught her to listen past the normal noises.

The beat pulsed again and Nix recognized it, she had heard it in Kilika while Yuna and friends had been fighting Lord Ochu.

It was the sound of someone summoning.

Jerking back in her seat, all the noise she had tuned out came rushing back but she hardly cared, someone was summoning and it sounded bad. Standing from her chair, she drank her cool water in one gulp before grabbing hold of Eva's shoulder. Eva jumped and looked up, a questioning gaze in her eyes.

"Nix, what-"

"Someone is summoning, and it's big. We have to find it... Now!" Eva's eyes widened and she quickly followed after Nix, saying a quick goodbye to the stranger at the table.

Auron sipped the last of his drink, glancing at the sphere screen when Kilika Beasts fans cheered. Obviously they had scored a goal. He stood from his seat, knowing the word had reached Yuna's ears of his presence by now. Walking from the bar, he glanced round the monument when he saw Nix and Eva run up towards the stadium. Those two were unusual, Eva because of her untrained ability to summon and vast knowledge of all types of magic. Nix was more intresting, the fact that she could hear a summoning was somewhat alarming and unheard of.

He would definitely have to keep a close eye on those two.

Eva panted for breath, resting her hands on her knee's. Nix sure knew how to run, she now knew why the men in the Guard never wanted to be partnered with her. Nix was fast and graceful, she even made pushing past people look like a long forgotten dance. Nix was standing just a little further in front, he head tilted downwards as she listened for the same beating noise that had alerted her attention in the bar.

Eva was curious as what the person was summoning but something else caught her intrest. There were several Al-Bhed mummering to themselves, they looked between each other, nodding their head in what was quite suspicious. Her eyes widened when she saw Yuna's skirt, suddenly feeling apprehensive she turned to warn Nix that some roudy Al-Bhed had Yuna when she saw that her 'sister' was gone, vanished into thin air.

She looked back at the group, noticing how they were moving towards pier four, she felt torn between Yuna and Nix, should she go to Yuna's rescue and be found as a summoner herself, or follow Nix and likely save Luca? Such a hard choice, which was made for her when Nix grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the back of the stands.

"Someone is summoning underneath the stadium.." Eva nodded, a magic spell already waiting on her tongue, though they were surprised when they bumped into the most unlikeliest character. Eva did the prayer in a heartbeat, not wanting to be rude to someone so special while Nix just gave the man a leveled stare that clearly said they were busy, and he should find it in his best intrest to move out of her way..

"Maester Seymour!" The maester smiled, returning the prayer, gazing calmly into Nix's stare. The blond stiffened minutely, seeming to already know what was going on.

"What were you summoning?" Seymour blinked, his cold eyes flaring with an unknown emotion that looked a lot like intrest, and murderous intent.

"How did you know I was summoning?" Nix snorted, stepping a little closer in front. She did not like the man's insane gaze what-so-ever.

"I have good hearing..." This seemed to confuse Seymour for a moment and he frowned, Eva nudged Nix with her elbow, not wanting to bring attention to themselves. If Seymour found out about her being a summoner and Nix using a machina weapon. She would be sent on a pilgramidge to her death and Nix would be exiled or locked up somewhere. Seymour scowled and pushed past them without another word.

Nix glared death at his back before she huffed in anger and began bitching about authoritive figures. Eva had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from bursting out laughing. It was well known that Nix and political figures were natural enemies and it seemed it was going to stay that way for a long time.

Nix walked up to the door Seymour had just vacated and ran her hand over the smooth wood, frowning at how it was warm to the touch. Her hand slipped to the handle of her gun as she warily pushed the door open. As soon as she had, the room lit up with the symbols of a summoning and the duo found themselves staring a horde of Sahagins.

Nix instantly fired several rounds that were strengthened with Fire magic while Eva summoned Fire after Fire spells while also healing Nix of any wounds. The fiends didn't give up so easily but Nix refused to be killed by some slimey lizards and she found herself using her Overdrive. Her machina weapon glowed ominiously as it pulsed with ancient magic. Eva watched, awed, as symbols surrounded the gun as Nix pulled the trigger once and it amazingly fired hundreds of rounds instead of just one at a time. The symbols died down and Nix smirked with triumph as the last Sahagin fell to the floor, bursting into pyreflies. After they made sure no more Fiends were going to appear they looked round the room, looking for anything that would give them a clue to what the Maester had been summoning but nothing was found.

_What the hell was he summoning? _Nix thought as she sighed, reholstering her weapon and leaning against the wall. She was extremely suspicious of the whole thing. Why would a Maester be down here anyway? Why was the Al-Bhed talking of kidnapping Summoners? She could feel her migraine throb angrily, showing that all this thinking was making it irritable.

Eva was staring at the floor, tempted to move the carpet just in case there was some old chalk drawin of a pentagram hidden underneath. She stared, boring holes into the poor carpet that refused to turn transparent just so she could see what was underneath it.

"Hey, Nix. There's something under this carpet." Nix was over in an instant, lifting the one edge before giving it a hard yank, revealing what was underneath...which was nothing. It was just a dark wood floor. Nix glanced at Eva who looked extremely confused and she fell to her knee's tracing her fingers over the wood.

Nix left her to it, if anyone could sense magic, it was Eva. She was still suspicous of the whole thing, and if she had her way, Seymour would be tied a chair, being interrigated beyond belief. But this wasn't Nihrote, and it definitely wasn't Bevelle either. After a few more minutes, Eva sighed, pulling away and looking annoyed.

"Whatever he was summoning, it's gone. I can't feel any trace of magic-" Eva looks up sharply when screams are heard from above, both her and Nix hurried out the room, finding themselves swamped up in crowds of panicking people. They glanced round, unsure on what to do until one thing came to mind.

"Yuna!"

It was total havoc in the stands and more than once Nix had to hold herself back from shooting the poor, terrified folk as they pushed her around like a ragdoll. Eva had gone to another entrance to help people escape but she didn't doubt that her sister was having the same trouble. After a particular hard shove from a bulky Kilikan man, Nix was glad to see a group lupine fiends heading her way, chasing a young woman. Nix pulled out her A7, loading it in record time and firing. The woman screamed in terror, obviously thinking Nix was shooting at her, though she gasped in surprise as Pyre-flies exploded around her.

"Get out of here!" Nix ordered, falling back on her old ways. She continued down the aisles, killing any fiends that were in her way. She half-heartedly glanced at the large floating ball of water, noticing Sahagins attacking Tidus and Wakka, though they were holding their own. Nix pulled out a few more armour piercing rounds, loading her gun with them as a dragon came hurtling towards her. She was not afraid of battles, and she definitely wasn't afraid of fiends but something in her froze, and instead of simply cocking her gun and firing, she found herself staring into the eyes of a malicious beast..

Which burst into pyre-flies that curled round her form before floating off towards the Farplane. She blinked a few times, her mind screaming at her for even thinking of hesitating. It wasn't like her to choke, she had fought far scarier things in her life and not once had she ever froze. Tightening her grip on the A7, Nix turned towards her savior, finding the man from the cafe standing behind her, a smirk tilting his lips. She took and deep breath and said her thanks before set off towards Eva who had been surrounded by a few Sahagins.

The battles continued and Nix was now back to back with Eva, drawing the fiends towards them instead of the fleeing mass of people. She knew this day had a bad feeling about it.

_Ba-bump_

Nix's fingers loosened momentarily on her the hilt of her gun as she heard the familiar sound of someone summoning, though this wasn't the same as Yuna's summoning. This was darker, deeper, more eviler then any she had heard before. It was almost the same sound she heard coming from that room Seymour had been in. And she wasn't wrong on who was summoning.

Dark chains fell from the sky, piercing the ground easily, causing the ground rumble and shake as it hauled something from the other world. Nix stared in shock at the Aeon before her, while Eva gasped in horror. Everything seemed to slow down as the Aeon attacked, hitting the fiends easily and killing them quickly. Nix watched as its one free eye lit with magic before the magic burst free, killing a lupine in one hit. She felt her heart near enough break as blood seeped from the eye and she had to hold herself back from running over and cutting those chain and freeing the obviously tortured Aeon.

It continued to kill the fiends, magic gathering and pulsing free of the Aeon. People stood in awe at the power it radiated, even Nix could sense it, but there was pain and a lot of it. The Aeon sat still after all the fiends had been killed, barely breathing hard. The Aeon seemed to stare right at them and Nix couldn't help but stare back, feeling that one-eyed stare looking right into her soul, and she felt helpless and vulnerable under that gaze.

In the end she had to look away and heard as everyone gasped as the Aeon disappeared, the pulsing of a summoning disappearing with it. She holstered her weapon and glanced at Eva who was as pale as ghost as her eyes glittered with unshed tears. Nix took the initiative and quietly whispered to Eva. "We should regroup with the others, make sure Yuna is okay." Eva nodded dully and followed after Nix who stopped every now and then to help an injured person or a lost child, until they finally reached Tidus and Wakka, as well as the stranger from the cafe. Nix passed Tidus a potion, which he tried refuse but under Nix's stern, unwielding stare, he soon gave in and drank the potion. Nix glanced round at the stands, trying to see if she could spot the others...

"Right, where's Yuna?"

Nix stared at Auron, trying to figure then man out, Lulu had updated her on who he was. A former Guardian of Lord Braska, Yuna's father. Eva was in town, restocking the potion supply. A lot of people were grateful towards them for protecting them and gave them a discount on any items they needed. It helped to have a summoner too, people would bend over backwards if Yuna asked them too.

They were standing outside the entrance to the Mi'hen Highroad, which they would walk along to the Mushroom Rock. Still, Nix was curious about this Auron character, something about him seemed off and she couldn't stick her finger on it. It was as if the man had no prescence at all, like a ghost. Nix shuddered minutely, and shook her head, she was being silly...But she had gotten the same feeling from Maester Mika, maybe they were both ghosts?

Huffing under her breath for thinking something so absurd, she went back to staring at the side of Auron's head while everyone waited for Yuna and Tidus to stop talking.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Looking towards the two standing on the balcony, Nix blinked as Yuna and Tidus continued to laugh out loud until the fell into childish giggles. She glanced round and noticed how everyone was looking at the two as if they had gone crazy. Rolling her eyes, she checked her weapon and muttered that she was going to find Eva before she spent too much money. She walked past the giggling duo and lightly cleared her throat.

"Everyone is looking at you." Walking off, she heard Yuna's and Tidus's giggles die down abruptly as they obviously turned round to see that she was right. Walking down the steps towards the town centre, looking over the banister at the people gathering round a stalls. She 'oofed' when someone going the oppisite way bumped into her. She shamefully stumbled from the bump, feeling two hands steady her.

Glancing up, Nix found herself staring into amber eyes that twinkled with hidden mischief. They stared at each other for a few moments until Nix realised what she was doing and abruptly pulled herself away from the gentle grip of the strangers hands.

"Thanks." The stranger shook his head, running a hand through dark locks.

"What for? I was the-" The stranger was cut off by two Crusaders appearing at the bottom of the stairs, shouting 'thief!' loudly. The stranger grinned and gave a mock salute before running for it, leaving Nix staring after him as the two crusaders gave chase.

_What the..?_ Nix continued to stare for a minute longer, her usually clear mind muddled and refusing to comprehend on what just happened. Shaking her head, she turned on her heels and continued down the steps, glad to see Eva heading her way. She was ready to get on with the journey and put this day behind her.

_You're losing your touch Nix._

"Hey, we leaving Nix?" Looking at Eva, Nix nodded. Heading back the way she came, she pushed all thoughts of herself turning soft to the back of her mind, as well as the thoughts of dark hair and amber eyes..


End file.
